


Race and the Hunger Games

by KatnissGalPal



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-19
Updated: 2014-02-19
Packaged: 2018-01-13 02:04:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1208749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatnissGalPal/pseuds/KatnissGalPal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The issue at stake in the Hunger Games fandom is the rhetoric around racism and views towards race that create an overarching tension within and around the fandom. This explores fan reactions to race and the way in which race is constructed in the futuristic society of the Hunger Games reflects how our culture currently fantasizes race in general.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Race and the Hunger Games

In the Hunger Games fandom there exist tensions and discussions among fans that provide insight into the controversial topic of race and racism. Tensions exist among fans themselves and with with the outside community. Criticized for being racists, there are hunger games fans that voice their opinions over the casting of different characters in the Hunger Games movies. ([X](http://www.dailydot.com/society/hunger-games-racist-tweets/)) This discussion in the Hunger Games fandom is a refection of how our society currently views the concept of race and racism. Historically, race is a social construct; it is something that cultures agree upon. Biologically, the physiology of all humans is all the same across difference races; therefore, race is a total cultural construct that we as a society create. It is the ideological, unspoken beliefs about the meaning of race that humans have created in different cultures. These fan reactions and the way in which race is constructed in the futuristic society of the Hunger Games reflects how our culture currently fantasizes race in general.

Movies in general create a strong connection between the characters and the race of the actor and actress that plays them, because the characters are manifested into a real person. The characterization of the race of the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, played by actress Jennifer Lawrence, as a Caucasian signifies our culture’s current fantasy of race in the future. It was never mentioned in the books that this character was meant to be Caucasian; on the contrary, she was described as “olive-skinned.” This characterization holds true for most other major characters in the books such as Gale, Peeta, Haymitch, Effie, and President Snow ([X](http://jezebel.com/5896515/a-character+by+character-guide-to-race-in-the-hunger-games)). In the books, the information given about the way various characters looked, it is never explicitly stated what race they are or supposed to be. Therefore reaction to the portrayal of race of these characters creates tension in the Hunger Games fandom among fans themselves, as well as criticism from the outside community ([X](http://www.journalfen.net/community/unfunny_fandom/19267.html)). There are fans that believe not everyone in the future will be “white” and there are those that believe there should not have been colored people in certain roles at all, two very distinct tensions that both reflect society’s current fantasization of race ([X](http://www.ibtimes.com/hunger-games-movies-rue-responds-racist-tweets-jennifer-lawrences-curvy-figure-criticized-431528)). The latter argues that not everyone in the future will be white, that the post-apocalyptic society the Hunger Games portrays in the movies is completely a reflection of the fantasy we have in our heads today. The former is argument that certain characters in the movie were not meant to be people of color, and that they should have also been Caucasian. These tensions that exist in the fandom and outside the fandom are both a result the way society currently fantasize race as a dominantly white culture, and is reflected by how the futuristic society of Panem is portrayed in the Hunger Games.

The issue that manifested itself not only among fans involved in the fandom ([X](http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/1106963-Movies-The-Hunger-Games-racist)) but also aroused vehement anger with the outside community was the reaction of fans surrounding the young actress that played the character Rue in the movie ([X](http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2012/03/hunger-games-and-trayvon-martin.html)). After the casting of the first Hunger Games there was a coalition of fans that rejected the idea of Rue being played by a black actress. They believed in the Hunger Games book she was meant to be white and should have been played by a young Caucasian actress. In the book series Rue is described as, “She has dark brown skin and eyes, but other than that she’s very like Prim in size and demeanor.” In books, there are vague terms that when put onto a big screen upsets people because rather than “read between the lines” or read carefully, they project their own ideas of race onto characters. This behavior within the fandom comes from society’s idea of what the ideal race is, and by projecting those beliefs onto characters in the Hunger Games. This caused harsh critique from outside communities as well as criticism from within the fandom ([X](http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/04/11/_racist_hunger_games_tweeters_speak_out_deny_being_racist.html)).

The districts are another major issue that reflects the way society currently fantasizes race and reflects that concept in this futuristic society. In the Hunger Games, the poorest of districts especially district 11, where Rue and Thresh (two protagonists that were African-American), is dominated by African Americans and are a farming district. While as you get closer to the capitol and the districts become much wealthier, districts 1 through 4, are dominated by Caucasians. The way in which discussions are sparked creates tension among fans involved in the fandom. ([X](http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/1106963-Movies-The-Hunger-Games-racist)) This hostility creates issues among fans that question issues of race throughout the Hunger Games series. The districts represent an important part of what this post-apocalyptic society means. From highest to lowest, the districts go from poorer to wealthier. According to some fans, the only issue isn’t that the majority of African Americans are from poor districts; there are races that only come from one district or aren’t accounted for at all. According to fans that voiced their opinions on this disparity, there were very few Asians, and they all came from the same district. Also, there were not even any Hispanics to account for. The racial tensions created by debates around the districts are another reflection on the way our vision of race is constructed in society.  

The issue at stake in the Hunger Games fandom is the rhetoric around racism and views towards race that create an overarching tension within and around the fandom. An article in Jezebel illustrates criticism towards the Hunger Games and the racism and tensions that exist in the Hunger Games fandom ([X](http://jezebel.com/5896688/i-see-white-people-hunger-games-and-a-brief-history-of-cultural-whitewashing)). These issues are a commentary on social construct of race in our current society. The “futuristic” world that the Hunger Games portrays is reflective of the standard we currently hold, rather than an interpretation on what the future will look like. While no solution can be made to “fix” what is a stake in this fandom, the issues surrounding race, acknowledging that it exists and why will eventually shed light on further discussion rather than tension around the issue. 


End file.
